On a Quote of Bl. Jerzy Popiełuszko---"an Idea Capable of Life..."

Question

A while back, I was reading a book (I don't remember the title) on the life of Polish martyr, Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko; and I am now trying to recollect a quote, I think may have been from it, which I paraphrase here as follows:

"An idea that needs rifles to survive will die of its own accord. But an idea capable of life will win with no effort at all. And it will be followed by millions of people."

I am certain that something like this was uttered by Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko---though I cannot say for certain whether it was all part of a single quote, or two separate quotes.

I have searched for an answer, but all that I have been able to verify so far is:

"An idea that needs rifles to survive will die of its own accord."

QUESTION: Can anyone confirm or correct my paraphrase? I am looking for the exact words for: "But an idea capable of life will win with no effort at all. And it will be followed by millions of people." And of course, whether the whole paraphrase had been uttered as one quote, or whether it is comprised of two separate quotes uttered perhaps, on different occasions. I want like to include this in a book I am writing.

Answer 1

From Rosary Workshop, we have

Do not fight by means of violence. Violence is a sign of weakness. Whatever cannot win by influencing the heart tries to win by means of violence. The most splendid and lasting battles known to history are the battles of human thought. The most ignoble and the shortest are the battles of violence. An idea which needs weapons to survive, will die by itself.

And from the Sangreal podcast "The Eucharist and the Heart of a Martyr", we have

An idea which needs rifles to survive dies of its own accord. An idea capable of life wins without effort and is then followed by millions of people.

Hence, the full quote is along these lines:

Do not fight by means of violence. Violence is a sign of weakness. Whatever cannot win by influencing the heart tries to win by means of violence. The most splendid and lasting battles known to history are the battles of human thought. The most ignoble and the shortest are the battles of violence. An idea which needs rifles to survive dies of its own accord. An idea capable of life wins without effort and is then followed by millions of people.

A Martyr for the Truth by Grazyna Sikorska, may have been the book you read. If so, I believe that the first words of the above quote are "Do not struggle with violence..."

In any case, I think the above is a reasonably correct full quote.

Answer 2

The following is taken from "Jerzy Popiełuszko: A Martyr for the Truth" by Grazyna Sikorska, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, p. 52, quoting Father Jerzy:

"Do not fight by means of violence. Violence is a sign of weakness. Whatever cannot win by influencing the heart tries to win by means of violence. The most splendid and lasting battles known to history are the battles of human thought. The most ignoble and the shortest are the battles of violence. An idea which needs rifles to survive, will die by itself. The idea which prevails merely through the use of violence is perverted. A living idea conquers by itself. It is followed by millions" (MFC, December 1982).